The Heir and the Priestess
by Compass Star
Summary: Sakura is a priestess who guards The Star Shrine. One day, The Dark Beast sealed her into a deep sleep. Li Syaoran, the only heir of the Li Clan, who also The Chosen One, was sent in a mission to awaken the Priestess in order to avoid destruction. SS ET
1. Prologue

The Heir and the Priestess

Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is not mine. It's Clamp's!! If I own CCS I wouldn't be writing fanfics you know! 

A/N: My first language isn't English, so forgive me if there are mistakes in this fanfic. Thank You

Summary: Sakura is a priestess who guards The Star Shrine. One day, The Dark Beast sealed her into a deep sleep. Li Syaoran, the only heir of the Li Clan, who also The Chosen One, was sent in a mission to awaken the Priestess in order to avoid destruction in the world. 

Thus the story began…………

Prologue 

            The wind breeze as she watch the sunset in the west side of the shrine. Her hair was blown and strands of her hair covering her face as she tucked it behind her ear. She was wearing a white miko clothes and a pink ribbon tied her golden auburn hair that fell to her back. Her emerald eyes showed expressions of wisdom and peace. Her eyes were calm and peaceful. 

            When the day is finally dark, she decided to take a walk outside the front yard of the shrine. She sighed in content at things around her. It all seemed to be welcoming her. And then she thought about herself, and what she had been doing for the last two years. It is not easy being a priestess, especially for someone who is so young like her, to be a mistress to 52 cards and also to guard them as the Sacred Item. And then her thoughts flew to her father and her brother who in a faraway land across her. She left her country two years ago when she was fourteen to fulfill her task as the Mistress of the Cards. It is difficult for her to leave her family like that, but she had no choice but to finish her task and spend a life as not only a priestess, but as a sorceress as well.

            She was cleaning the shrine when the sun is starting to go down in the west side of the shrine. Then she went outside to see them. She likes to take a walk before and after the sunset. She thinks that it is peaceful, just to enjoy the scenery. It helps her to enlighten her mood, especially this time it's spring when the cherry blossom is reaching its full-bloom. 

            However, her thoughts were interrupted by a strong wind blowing around her. And she felt an immense dark aura is approaching. The aura was so great that it's making her dizzy. She can felt a coldness creeping up her spine. She was having a bad feeling that things are not going to be okay from now on. 

_What is this feeling...? Why did I felt so grave about this thing? I have never felt this way before…_

            The wind slowly become calmer and revealed a figure with black robe and a veil that cover his/her face. The figure was standing before her with a frightening posture and the priestess was still having the bad feeling she had been feeling a minute ago. The coldness inside her starting to overwhelmed her and ready to take over her body. However, she was stronger than that. She could withstand the darkness. She would win.

            "Good evening, Priestess. On the other hand, should I say... Cardmistress?" the figure in black greeted her with a smooth, strong, masculine voice.

            "Who are you? How do you know me?" 

            "It's not hard to know and understand things about you, Cardmistress," come the reply from the black figure. "And I am the Shadow Master. The Ruler of Darkness."

            "What do you want?" she asked, still feeling the coldness inside her body and mind.

            "Not much, just the Cards… and your soul"

            "Wha—," before she could utter a word, a small blast thrown at her and drew her three steps backwards.

            "That is just a warning, Cardmistress. Unless you give up your cards and your soul to me, you won't feel pain," he smirked under his veil.

            "I will never give up my cards or my soul to anyone like you!" she summoned the Star Wand.

            "Then, I shall not be easy on you," he made a circle in the air with his hand and mutter spells that the priestess cannot hear nor understand. 

            A second later, the circle changed into a mirror and revealed a big black creature, showing its great fang. It had a sharp claw and big black wing on its back. It wass a mix of a lion and a tiger. The creature stepped out of the mirror and growl dangerously, waiting for its master's order.

            "Kill her, Dark Beast. And bring her soul to me."

            And with that, the Dark Beast started to lunged at her. But the priestess easily dodged it. She summon the Fight and the Sword, ready to counter the beast's attack at anytime. But that was not as easy as she imagine. Even with a years of training, it's still not good enough compare to the quickness the beast had.

            For the first few minutes, she could still dodged the beast's attack. But after dozens time of leaping and dodging, she got tired herself. Her moves became slower and her body didn't reflect to her brain as fast as before. Compare to the beast's condition, she was a lot worse. She jumped up in the air and tried to attack from behind. But the beast saw this and elude out of the way. The priestess was caught off guard an fell. The beast saw this chance and lunged at her and then bit her neck, extracting the poison from inside its fang.

            The Cardmistress felt a surge of pain all over her body. Her consciousness is staring to slip. But if she gave up now, the Cards would be taken and her soul will be corrupted by darkness. So she gathered her strength and pull out the Sword and thrust it into the beast's neck. The beast's released its bite and fell onto the ground. The beast was starting to disappear slowly and turn into ashes.

            "I must admit. You are good, Cardmistress," said the Dark Master, who had been watching the entire fight. "But the Beast's bite is poisoned. And it will make fall into a dark sleep. No one can awake you, except for the Chosen One. And I will make sure that will never be happen."

            The priestess realize that the moment her conscious was gone, he would take the cards and made disasters on the world. So she threw a Sealing Spell at him. The spell would make him lost his power to do magic.

            The Dark Master's eyes widen in shock. He knew exactly what she had done to him. Nevertheless, he smirked. "With that small amount of power you have now, you can never seal all of my magic. I will wait until you are awaken once again. And I will make the Cards mine." And with that, he disappeared.

            The Cardmistress took her last amount of energy to seal the cards in the Sacred Room of the shrine. And then she make a prayer for the last time before darkness finally took over her body.

            _"Please, let the __Chosen__ One be selected by the Moon, and shall the world is saved from destruction"_


	2. Reports

The Heir and the Priestess

By: Compass Star

Disclaimer: Is there anything I should write about this? O yeah, CCS is not mine and never will. 

A/N: Thank you for all the reviewers!!! Now I know how it fells when you're getting reviews!!! Ohohohoh…… Now on with the stories…!!

Chapter 1 – Reports

            Li Syaoran sighed heavily as he walks towards the Li Resident. He has returned from his journey to the Wang City. He was sent there by the elders to search for the Priestess, The Guardian of the Star Shrine. The Elders said that she was the key to save destruction in the world. He didn't know that searching a well-known priestess is as hard as searching a one certain ant in the dessert. For God Sake, He did not have a clue to the Priestess whereabouts! It was so frustrating him. He had been thinking to ask a citizen where is the Priestess is. Then he remembered that the Priestess had disappeared for more than four and half year, five to be exact. She can be anywhere in that duration of time. Maybe she was in a city near his town, or in a village, forest, in a house, an inn, shrine, or even in the opposite side of the earth!! Then he remembered his dreams…

~Dream Flashback~

            He was standing on the front yard of a shrine. He was facing a cherry blossom tree that look very ancient and somehow sacred. Then he felt a strange sensation inside his body. It was not a bad feeling but neither a good one. He felt an unfamiliar aura behind him. He turned around but saw nothing. Then he heard a voice behind his back.

_I'll__ wait for you, the __Chosen__ One…_

            He spun around and saw a girl standing before him. She was standing before him. She was wearing a white miko clothes. Her golden auburn hair is falling down her back. Nevertheless, Syaoran could not see her face because her face was thrown downcast. She looked normal, but her clothes were stained with blood streaming from her neck. However, from the standing position she was in, he could believe that she was not feeling hurt. Instead, she smiles.

_Until the time has come, I will wait for you to come and save me from this torture…_

_Save me, Little Wolf…_

~End Dream Flashback~

            'Who is that girl?' thought Syaoran. 'Could it be the Priestess I have been searching for weeks? No, no. That is not important. The most important thing is how did she know my name?' He continue his thoughts until he reach the main gate of the Li Resident. 

            He walked inside and headed toward the Elders' chamber. He was going to report the process of his search for the lost priestess to the Elders. He knew he would get a scowling from them after knowing he still got nothing after weeks of investigating the location of the priestess. The only clue he got was the dreams he had been having.

            Once he got there, he took a deep breath and opened the door to the Elders' chamber. There stood a four-sided pillar with different colors on each side. Each side of it represented the Four Great Elements: Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth. Behind it stood the Four Elders. Syaoran kneel before them.

            "How is the progress of your search, Xiao Lang?" asked one of the Elders, the one that represents the Earth, Sheng.

            "I have found neither of her position, nor the information about the Priestess," he answered. "But I had been having several dreams that maybe a clue to her whereabouts."

            "What exactly the dream you had been having told you?" the Elder who represent the Water, Lei, asked.

            "I had a dream that I stood in front of a cherry blossom tree. And I hear a feminine voice calling out to me. She asked me to save her," Syaoran explained briefly.

            "Foolish! How could you be fooled by that kind of dream! We had trained you for fourteen years and all you've got is an idiotic kind of dream?!?" said the Elder of the Fire, Lang, outrageous.

            "It's true Xiao Lang. Don't be fooled by the dream," said Chong, the one who represented the Wind. "It may led you further from what you are searching for. We cannot risk wasting times for that kind of thing. Don't let anything affect your judgments in this search. We must stop the Shadow Master from destroying the beauty of this world. We should stop his attempt to create destruction in the world. You are the Chosen One. You must withstand those kinds of obstacles."

            "I understand Elders."

            "Continue you search. And don't come back until you found her," said Sheng. "Find her before it is too late."

            "Yes, Elders. I may take my leave now."

            Syaoran stood up and exited the room. Once the door was closed, he let out a sigh of relief. 

            "What were the Elders told you?" A voice behind him asked. 

            "Looks like I'm going to be gone for quite a long time, Meiling," Syaoran answered. Already knowing who asked. "Where's Mother?" 

            "She's waiting for you outside." 

            "Tell her I'm going to be there after I took my belonging in my room."

            "I will"

            "Thank you, Meiling."

            Syaoran walked off leaving Meiling stood in the hall by herself, staring at his back sadly. She knew this task is going to be a great burden to her cousin. However, there is nothing she could do about it. Sometimes, she hated herself for being so useless. Her cousin had helped her so many times that she cannot count for it herself. But somehow, she knew that this task would have great effects on Syaoran's behaviors later. She did not know if this effect is good or bad, but she will hope for the best. 

            She walked outside to where her aunt had been waiting for her cousin. She spotted her aunt standing under the tree. She stood there with her back towards Meiling. 

            "Xiao Lang is going to be here soon. He's just going to pack his belonging before going," Meiling said.

            "So, finally the Elders had requested him to begin the search. It is going to be hard for him, ne?" said Yelan Li. 

            "Uhm. I hope Xiao Lang will finish his task and returned home safely," replied Meiling.

            "I hope so, too."

            They stood there in silence for a few minutes until Syaoran came with a small bag at his shoulder.

            "Mother, I'm going to take my leave. I came here to bid you goodbye," said Syaoran.

            "The Elders had told you to leave?" asked Yelan.

            "Yes, Mother."

            Yelan turned around and said, "I know you can do this task, Xiao Lang. Don't disappoint me and you family. However, that is not important right now. You must be careful and do your best, son. I will wish you for the best."

            "Thank you, Mother."

            Yelan smiled and kissed his cheek. Then Meiling came to him and give him a hug. 

            "Good luck, Xiao Lang."

            Then Syaoran went outside the gate and walk towards the suburb, the place where it was said to whereabouts of a mysterious priestess lived once. Little did he know that the moment he walked out the gate of his home, he would face the hardest time of his life


	3. Journey

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine. It belongs to CLAMP.

A/N: I'm sorry if my last chapter was bad. I'll try to make this chapter more enjoyable to read!!! ^__^ And once more thank you for all my reviewers!! Keep reviewing!! 

The Heir and the Priestess

Chapter 2 – Journey

~Dream~

            There he was again, standing before the cherry blossom tree. This time, the voice that had been haunting him for weeks did not come. Instead, he saw a girl around his age walked towards a shrine. Her back was facing him, so he could not see her face. While the girl was walking, Syaoran decided to follow her. 

            Once they were inside the shrine, the girl entered a room where arrows and sword were kept. It didn't made sense for Syaoran. Why would arrows and shrine kept here? It was a shrine, after all. As long as he knew, shrine is place where people pray, not battling.

            The girl before him kneeled and picked up dozens of arrows and threw it aside, revealing a dusty floor. Then she muttered something that he recognized as some kind of spell. The spot that the girl had cleaned slowly revealed a thing that looked like a knob. The girl pulled the knob and stepped down the stairs that slowly emerged from the pitch-black area below them. When the girl reached the bottom of the stairs, she flicked her hand and the light was suddenly turned up by itself.

            He expected to see a room full of archery things and battling materials. Instead, he saw nothing but a blank-spaced room. What happened after that wasn't what he expected at all. The girl suddenly turned to face him. However, to his confusion, he still could not see her face. 

            _"You shall not see further than this, Little Wolf. It is not for you to see this place. But continue your journey and finish your duty. You must find me before disaster occurred. Follow your heart. I trust you will find me in no time."_

~End Dream~

            Syaoran woke up with a jolt. What is the meaning of those dreams? He has been dreaming a lot of that shrine. And the girl, the voice that been haunting him every day and nights. He didn't know whether to follow his heart and go search for that shrine or obey the Elders' order to forget the dreams and keep going with his search.

            He sat up and folded the sheet he had been sleeping on, and then he grabbed his bag and continued his walk. He couldn't find a house or an inn to stay in last night, since the Li Resident was hidden in the depth of a forest. Therefore, he decided to camp in a cave that he accidentally found. He walked to the highway and found a village a mile away from him. When he reached the village, it was still early in the morning. He found the village is still quite empty. He felt a flicker of aura, but decided to shrug it off. He stopped at the nearest shop and bought some supplies for his journey. After that, he walked off and headed outside the village. The Elders had vaguely mentioned that the last time the Priestess' aura flared was at the outside of Zhong City. 

            When he was about a mile away from the village, he saw the road branches off before him.. The first one, a forest. The second, he could only see a steep and slippery way ahead. And he knew it would be dangerous to go on that way, especially when he is alone. He could get lost or fell off a cliff. The third, he only saw a dead end far ahead, for he have a good sight, almost like an elf. He looked at his map, and saw there was no other way except the fork. Eventually, he must chose between the second way, or the first.

            After a while of thinking, he decided to choose the forest way. He was reaching a quite spacing area when he felt something wrong with his surrounding. It felt darken somehow. He still felt that annoying flicker of an aura. He knew someone was following him. He stopped walking and concentrated to where the aura was coming from. It was from a tree about ten feet behind him. 

            "I will appreciate it if you stop following me and show yourself, Stalker," he said.

            Syaoran heard a thud and footsteps coming towards him. He set an alert position just in case something was going to happen. Instead, he only heard an angry growl.

            "I. Am. Not. A. Stalker!!!!!!!" an angry, boyish voice said behind him. Syaoran sweat dropped and turned around.

            "A kid?" he said to himself. 

            "And what if I am?!?" replied the boy angrily. 

            "I just didn't expect a boy to stalk me like that. Then what are you doing, following me around like that?" Syaoran asked irritably. He had been learning to control his emotion. However, this boy was an exception.

            "I'm not following you! I am just walking in the same direction as you!" replied the boy with the same tone.

            "Then where are you going, Little Boy?"

            "I-uh… I am going to go to my grandfather's house!" the boy answered.

            "I don't believe you."

            "NANI!!!!" 

            "You are a horrible liar. First, you said the direction you are going is the same as mine. But I know there is no resident or house for about ten miles away. Second, no parents are going to allow their children to go outside the city by themselves, let alone in the middle of a forest. Third, a good liar never stuttered when they are lying," Syaoran explained briefly.

            The boy's face fell at his words. "I know I'm just not good at this kind of things," he growled and said, "All right, I admit I'm lying."

            "Then, explain the reason why you were following me, boy," Syaoran asked. "Who are you, anyway?" His patience is starting to slipped away. It will only take a count of minutes and this boy will be completely beaten by him.

            The boy smirked, "You don't need to know who I am. I was sent here by my master."

            Syaoran frowned, "Master? Who is your master? What did he want?"

            "He is the Shadow Master. The Ruler of Darkness. And you know what he wanted?" the boy asked. "He wants you dead."

            The boy smiled naughtily and threw a ball of fire at Syaoran. 

            Syaoran easily dodged out of the way, He took out his sword and went into fighting stance. He started to attack the boy with a lightning bolt. However, the boy ducked away and suddenly vanished. Then the boy appeared again behind Syaoran at almost the same time and thrust a blade into his back. But before the boy could do that, Syaoran leapt away.

            "You think you can simply trick me with that" Syaoran smirked. "Believe me. I was trained to do more than that. Fight me like a man, boy." He chuckled and said, "Oh, sorry. I forgot that you are still a boy!"

            Then Syaoran ran to the boy with a lightning speed and attempt to slice the boy's throat. Nevertheless, the boy jumped to avoid his attack. Syaoran saw this chance and slice the boy's stomach instead. The boy growled and sent a big fireball at Syaoran. Syaoran did a back flip and sent the fireball back. It hit the boy right in the stomach.

            "Wait till next time. I will get my revenge on you, Little Wolf!" The boy said grudgingly and disappeared into thin air.

            Syaoran sighed in relief. Then he continued his walk. He felt a little tired but decided to go on. He couldn't waste any time. However, his relief turned into grief when he felt a gush of wind came from behind him. In a split of second, he felt pain  in the back of his shoulder. He glanced back and saw a dagger was stabbed in his shoulder. Then he felt like his energy had been drained. He leaned forward against the nearest tree beside him. He sat and decided rest for a while.

            'Shit, the dagger is poisoned," he thought, finding a way to get the poison out of his body. But he himself couldn't move an inch. 'I can't move. How am I supposed to hold on with this? The poison is deadly. I can't die right now." And then he felt his conscious started to slipped away

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "You failed, aren't you?" a smooth, masculine voice asked.

            "I am. I didn't expect him to be so powerful. I underestimate him," replied the boy. He was kneeling before the man and he was quivering. His wound had not yet been treated and blood is pouring out from his stomach. "But I stabbed him in the back and he got poisoned."

            "Well, at least it can slower his journey to find my Precious One. We already able to measure the Little Wolf's ability. But next time, make sure you won't fail, Ren."

            "Hai, aniki," Ren replied. "I won't fail and I won't disappoint you."

            "Treat your wound and go to the dungeon until I tell you to get out. You have to take your punishment."

            Ren winced as he heard the man's words. He always got a punishment every time he made a mistake. And the punishment is not always pleasant. Right now, he just have to be grateful that his brother is kind enough just to kept him in a dungeon. He usually got a beating or a curse for almost a week. But he did not know how long he was going to be held in the dungeon. He just hoped that his brother is kind enough to feed him food at least once a day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            His breathing had shortened by the minutes. He felt his body has gone numb. He could not feel anything. Could not hear anything except his own breathe. He could not move his body. But he had to get the poison of his body. Or else, he was going to die in that pathetic way. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, grabbing the dagger inside it. He glanced back and realized there was someone there. He want to struggle, but had no power. So he just give in and let the person do what he/she wants. The Elders taught him not to just gave in like that. But in this situation, he had no control for it. And he can felt that the person's intention was not bad. He moved a little when he had the power to do it.

            "Shh, you were poisoned. Let me take the dagger out first," it was a feminine voice. Her voice was angelic and soothing. It help him to calmed down a little bit. Somehow he felt save with her beside him. He didn't know who this girl was, but he sure owed his life to her. The girl took out the dagger from inside his arm and then she cleaned his wound. 

            "Oh my god, you're poisoned! I should took out the poison first and then wrap your arm. It's gonna take longer than I thought and it's going to hurt a little bit. I'm sorry."

            It surprised him when she sucked her mouth into his arm and took out the poison. It shocked him to hell that this person willing to took risk by sucking the poison. 

            "H-hey, you're—going to be… contaminated—by—the poison…!"        

            "It's okay. I will be all right," she cleaned his wound with a warm towel. He winced when she touch the wound. "It's just going to hurt a bit. Just try to be patient, okay?" she said, reassuring him. "What was happening to you exactly, anyway? It's just cruel to stab a person in the back like that. Especially with a poisoned dagger. Here done! Now I'm going to heal your wound!"

            Syaoran suddenly felt warmth crept over his body. And he felt his wound is slowly closing itself. 

_What had she done to him? How can she do that? Does she have magic?_

"Now, all you have to do is rest and sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, you are going to be the same as new! I will sing you a lullaby to get you sleep sooner." 

She put his head on her lap and touch his forehead. Then she sang him a lullaby. All of a sudden, Syaoran felt dizzy and sleepy at the same time. He felt like laughing at himself. Her mother had not sung him a lullaby ever since he was five. He could not believe a girl that he didn't even knew sing him a lullaby. How strange. Nevertheless, he just decided to sleep. 


	4. New Friends

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine and never will. So don't sue me!

A/N: Wooohoooo!!! It's chapter 3 already! I can't believe I've gone this far! Thanks for all the reviewers! And please keep read and reviewing!!!

            I realize a few mistakes I made in the previous chapters. I will try to fix it and if you find some mistakes in this fanfic, please let me know. And if you have some suggestion for me to how this story will be going, just tell me! I'm running out of idea, you know!! And once again, please R&R!!!

             Special for my reviewer, cherry_blossom_angel: Thank you so much for the critics!!! I realize that I made so many mistakes in chapter 3! And you help me recognize it!!! If you didn't told me, I don't know what I would be!! Ohohoho… anyway, I'm not good in describing situation, though. About the poison thing, ehehehe… stupid me! I don't know much about that, for the fact that I don't learn about it and I hate biology, etc. I guess I should pay more attention to the teacher. And you know, I actualize your critics in this story! I will try to make it clear why the girl sucked the poison and how she did it without getting contaminated too!! (I'm a stupid girl trying to make a good fanfic here, thank you so much for the reviews *crying with tears streaming down to the floor*)

            The song I use in this chapter is sung by The Groove. It's actually a foreign song, but I decided to translate it and put it in this story because the lyrics fit so perfectly to the story! For those who recognize the song, please tell me if I mistranslated it! 

            Oh yeah, does any of you know what is the Chinese for star? If you know, then let me know, plea~~~se!

            Oh, just one more thing, the Priestess had been asleep for 40 or more years. But don't worry, she is not getting old. Being asleep for 45 years don't aged her. And I can assure you that it's S+S!

_Italic words_: song

~*~*~*~*~*~: change scene 

|++++++++|    : change time 

"…": dialogue 

'…': thought

The Heir and the Priestess

Compass Star

Chapter 3 – Meeting New Friend

            Syaoran woke up from his dreamland. His head was still throbbing from the effect of the poison and his left shoulder was bandaged. However, he still managed to sat up. He looked at his surrounding. He was in a room. There was a chair at the corner of the room. Then a cabinet close to the door. The room was simple but comfortable at the same time. He didn't know where he was. The last thing he knew was someone carrying him and placed him in a bed…

            The sound of the door opening interrupted his thought. He looked at the door and saw a girl around his age was standing gracefully there. She was wearing a white dress with a long sleeve that expanded at the lower part. Her eyes were glimmering in the dimness of the room. 

            "Ara? I see you have awakened," she said.

            "Who are you?"

            "I'm the one that brought you here. Are you feeling better?"

            "Yes I am. By the way thank you for your help. If you didn't come that time, I would probably be died now. I owe you my life."

            She chuckled, "It's nothing. You don't owe me anything. That's my job anyway."

            "Your job? Are you a doctor?"

            "I guess you can say it that way," she replied, grinning. 

            Then he remembered the way she sucked the poison from his body. He gasped, "Then, you're the one who sucked the poison out of my body?" he asked. "You could get poisoned too, you know!"

            She just stood there, smiling. "I guess you can say that I got lucky that I didn't got poisoned!!" she replied again animatedly. "You still felt dizzy, right? You can stay here for a while if you want. Just make yourself at home. Oh, I almost forgot. Do you want some food? You had been sleeping for almost three days and I'm sure it will make you hungry!"

            As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. He looked down and blushed heavily. It made the girl giggled cutely.

            "I take that as a yes, then. Just wait a minute, okay?"

            After a few minutes, the girl came back with a bowl of porridge. He frowned slightly as she showed it to him. The girl laughed and told him that a sick people must eat porridge. He raised an eyebrow in amusement but decided to eat the porridge. She just sat there on the edge of the bed and watched him eating.

            When he finished eating, he gave the bowl to her, "It's great. Thank you." 

            "Do you want to change your clothes?" she asked. "I just cleaned it yesterday. I left the clothes there at the chair so you can change whenever you want to. And your belongings are in the cabinet over there. Call me if you need anything, all right?"

            He nodded, "Of course, thank you once again."

            She just smiled sweetly and left the room. 

            Syaoran changed onto his outfit and went outside the room to look for the girl. When he reached outside, he realized that he was in a small house. There were only two bedrooms and a dining room. He reached the backyard and found the girl was sitting on the floor, humming a song and gazed at the dark sky before her.

_            I am alone this night_

_            Only the stars accompany me_

_            You come when darkness fall_

_            And you were gone when the sun rise_

_            Why did you go?_

_            At day, I miss your glimmer_

_            I wait for night to come so I can embrace you_

            He watched the girl sang the song. Her wavy hair was loose and blown by the wind. Her voice is soft and soothing. Somehow, he felt comfortable just looking at her. He felt as if the throbbing pain in his head slowly ceased away. 

            _Accompany me with your glimmer_

_            Let my night be as beautiful as you_

_            Maybe tomorrow I won't be alone again_

_            He will come back to me_

            _Why did you go?_

_            At day, I miss your glimmer_

_            I wait for night to come so I can embrace you_

_            Stay with me tonight, my star…_

_            Don't let me be alone anymore_

_            Stay with me…_

            He clapped when she finished the song. She abruptly turned around and blushed heavily, though he couldn't see it. She smiled shyly and walked to him.

            "Are you feeling better? You know you can't walk too much when you're still hurt."

            "I'm all right now. I think I better go now. It's not good for me to stay too long at one place, anyway."

            "You're already going to go?" she asked, suddenly saddened by his words. "But you just gotten better! Your body might not be able to take it. And it's already night. Isn't it dangerous for you to walk just by yourself?"

            "It's okay. I'm good. I already delayed my journey. I couldn't waste my time."

            "You're on a journey? Where are you going?" she asked. "Maybe I could accompany you to your destination."

            "I'm going to Zhong City. Is it far from here? Where is this, anyway?"

            "This is the Hoshi Village, Mister…"

            "Li Syaoran," he finished it. "Just call me Li."

            "Oh, okay," she giggled nervously. "This is the Hoshi Village and if you're going to go to the Zhong City, I will accompany you there. It's not very far from here. It's about two miles away."

            "Is it all right with you? I mean, it's already night and all…"

            "Of course it is! I happen to have some business there, too. So I can get company to get there, right?" she said. "So, do you want to go now?"

            "Uh, okay then." 

            The girl led him the way and walked to the Zhong City. It was a clear night. The moon is reaching its fullness. He realized that he had not gone too far from the spot he left when he collapsed several days before. The village is just about 15 miles from the last city he left. 

            When they reached the gate of the city, the girl asked, "What direction are you going? I will go to meet some of my relatives. It's over there," she pointed to the opposite of his way. It was a dark alley and he couldn't see anything from his standing place.

            "Err, I'm going to go there," he pointed to the opposite direction of her way, the center of the city. 

            "I guess I must leave now," she said. "My father is an archeologist. He works for the government and I haven't met him for over a week. I think he will be delighted to see me here. It's nice meeting you. See you later, Li Syaoran!" And with that, she ran at the direction she pointed and disappeared slowly into the darkness.

            But a second she left, he remembered that he haven't asked her name yet and dashed after her. He met a turning point. He turned left and expected to see the girl walking in the alley. But she was already gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            He was sitting in a bar drinking a saké. He had chosen to stay for a day or two in an inn near that bar. This was the second night he stayed in the inn and he still hadn't got anything to continue his journey. He could not sleep so he decided to take a walk and ended up in that bar. He was thinking about the girl who saved him when an old man came sitting across him.

            "Hey there, lad? Whatcha doin'? Thinkin' of something? Or rather… someone?" he laughed out loud after he said that.

            Syaoran chuckled slightly, "No, I wasn't thinking of someone. Just stuffs at home and all."

            "So, where's ya home, anyway?" the old man asked.

            "I come from the Wang City. Did you happen to know any archeologist here?"

             "Archeologist? Oo, don' be ridiculous, boy! There's no such thin' in this city!" the old man laughed at his question.

            "Nani? But it's impossible. I just met a person who said she was going to meet her relative who works as an archeologist for the government!"

            "Nah, ya must imaginin' things!" he laughed. Then his eyes twinkled in amusement. "She?? You said 'she', rite? Sooo it's true yer thinkin' bout someone!!"

            Syaoran blushed heavily, "N-no! She helped me but I haven't thanked her yet. When I looked for her, she just disappeared!" He explained with stutter.

            The old man narrowed his eyes, "Disappear?" he asked suspiciously. "Yer no joking, aren't ya?"

            "No, of course not. Why would I be?" he frowned. There's something wrong with this. "Why do you acting like somehow… suspicious?"

            He leaned forward and signaling him to come closer. "I heard that there's a strange woman wandering around at night. Then she came to a certain house everyday. It is said that she was representing a soul to the owner of the house. Oh, and one more thing. She often sneaks a look to the citizen's house as if to search for something. You must be careful. Regularly, her victim is a travelers and new-comers."

            Syaoran nodded understandingly. "Thank you, Ojii-san. I think I should get going now." He said. "But before that, exactly where is the owner's house that you told me about?"

            "The owner who the witch came to? It's at the Kuro Street. The house is the only residence there" The old man replied. "Why do you want to know that? Do you want to go there? I suggest you take a second thought on that. The street is very creepy. And there's a rumor that the street is haunted."

            "Really? Then I must take a try, then." And with that, he left without a word after dumping some money to the table, leaving the bewildered old man.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            He reached the entrance of the street. And he could feel a couple of auras coming from the street, and it looks like searching for something. He entered the street and continued walking until he found a very large house, almost like a mansion. All the aura he felt was coming from this house. 

            'So this house is the one who makes this street felt creepy. Because of the immense aura that coming from there. But the auras are not dark. It's just, mysterious and intriguing.' He thought. 'I better check it out. Maybe I can find something about the priestess…and hopefully that girl, too.'

            He entered the gate of the house and walk in its front yard until he reached the door. Suddenly, the door opened by itself. As if it could feel him and welcoming him to enter. He hesitated at first but finally gave in an entered it. But as soon as he was in the house the door closed itself, making a loud banging sound in the area. 

            "We have waited for you, Little Wolf," an angelic voice suddenly spoke.

            He abruptly turned to where the voice was coming from. From the darkness, he could hear footsteps coming towards him. It slowly revealed a girl around his age with long, wavy dark hair. She was wearing dark velvet robe and black shoes. Her eyes were amethyst and twinkling animatedly in the dark. She was smiling while walking towards him. When she was about five feet from him, she stopped and curtsied.

            "Finally, you have come. It's been a long time since we heard from your clan, Chosen One," she said.

            "What? Dare da, omae? How do you know my name? What do you want?" he said cautiously, preparing himself just in case she was going to attack him.

            She giggled slightly, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. As I told you, we've been waiting a long time for you. We're here to help you."

            "Help me? For what? Why did you wait me for?" he asked. "And who are you?"

            "I am the assistant of the owner of this house. I think it would be nice if you just follow me and I will introduce myself there with the others." She gracefully gestured him to follow her.

            She led her to a dark corridor. On the wall at each side of the corridor stood statues of various kind of people. Some are happy, sad, mourning, laughing, etc. And then they reached the end of the corridor. The girl knocked at the door and it opened itself. She motioned him to came in and he entered. In the room, there was a fireplace and a big chair behind a desk at the end of the room. The chair's back was towards him, so he couldn't see if there was someone who sat there or not. But all of a sudden, there was a woman standing at the exact opposite of the desk, staring right at him. She was wearing a black outfit. Her hair was scarlet, her eyes were ruby, and it had mischief glint in it. 

            "He has come, Master." The girl with scarlet hair said.

            Suddenly the chair was turned around, revealing a young man with glasses, around his age too. He wore a dark blue robe, and he was smiling mysteriously at him. And on his shoulder sat a black creature like a stuffed animal with a yellow eyes glaring at him. 

            "Welcome to the Hiiragizawa Residence, formerly known as the Reed Residence. Li Syaoran, I presume?" the young man said.

            Syaoran just stood there, bewildered. How could they knew his name? Are they the disciple of the Shadow Master too? Compared to the boy he met earlier in his journey, they surely fit for the role. 

            However, seeing Syaoran's absence, he continued, "I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, the owner of this Residence. The girl who brought you here beside you, is Daidouji Tomoyo. She is my assistant, as well as my fiancée. The lady at the corner, is Ruby Moon, but you can call her Akizuki Nakuru. And the one who sit on my shoulder here, is Spinel Sun. We are the one who will assist you in your journey."

            Finally recovering his senses and got back his voice, Syaoran said, "Why do you want to help me? What do you really want?" he asked, a little forcefully.

            "Why don't you sit here for the moment? We're going to explain things to you," said Tomoyo, pulling a chair and gestured him to sit down. Syaoran reluctantly followed and sat down as Eriol began his history lesson.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Meanwhile at the Li Residence~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            "Have you located his position, yet?" said one of the Elders.

            "Yes, sir. And I can assure you that he already met the Reincarnation," a feminine voice asked."He met a little trouble in the way but a woman, with an unknown identity, helped him and healed him. He can continue his duty in your best interest right now."

            "Good. But find out who the woman who helped him. Find out her name and her background. We can't risk anything in this mission. Continue tracing him and keep us posted."

            "Of course, Elder," a hooded girl who reported to the Elder said. She was kneeling before the Elders with her face thrown downcast. 

            "And make sure he is in a sensible condition. He is your brother, Fei Mei. So make sure he does the duty rightfully. Send him a warning immediately if he does something out of place."

            "Yes, Elder."

            "You may be excused, now. Continue your duty and do the best that you can."

            "Thank you, Elder." And with that she left the Chamber.

            Once outside, Fei Mei whispered, "Oh Little Brother, please be careful." And a drop of tear fell down to the floor. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Hiiragizawa Residence~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Eriol stood at the edge of the window. He was looking outside at the street when Tomoyo came in.

            "You haven't asleep yet?" she asked.

            Eriol turned to look at her and smiled, "No, I haven't felt sleepy yet."

            Tomoyo stared at him before asking, "Do you think it's all right if we left him that way?"

            "Him? You mean the Chosen One?" he chuckled. "He will be all right. As long as I know, he's tough. However, I still don't think he has  trusted us yet."

            Tomoyo giggled, "I'm sure he will, eventually. We just need to give him some kind of approval."

            "But what?" Eriol asked. "Give him some cookie so he will love us, like we did to Spinel?"

            They both laughed. Tomoyo walked up to him and squeezed his shoulder, giving him a sign of assurance. Eriol took her hand and kissed it, and then put her hand on his heart. Then he hugged her.

            "H-hey, what's going on with you?" she asked, bewildered. "You're not usually did this…"

            "Shh… just be quite, Tomoyo." He kissed her head. He fell silent for a moment and asked, "Are you scared?"

            "Huh? Scared of what?" she asked, still didn't get to his unusual behavior. 

            "Are you scared of what are going to happen after the Priestess has awoken?"

            Her eyes saddened for a moment, but she shrugged it off, "I don't have to say it, do I? You always know what I'm thinking."

            She hugged him back, "I'm sure everything is going to turn out to be all right. They can do it. I'm sure. You must have faith in them, Eriol."

            "But you know once the Priestess is awoken, the Shadow Master will rise and get to the fullest strength, right? The seal will be broken and his power will reach its fullest." 

            "But even if we don't awakening the Priestess, he will try to find a way to break the spell. Then, sooner or later, the world will be corrupted and destruction will occurred. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?" she replied, soothing him.

            Eriol looked down at her with a sad smile, "Do you really want to do this?" he asked. "I know I dragged these things to you. And if you're scared, you don't have to do this." 

            "No, I'm not scared." she smiled softly at him. "Why would I be? Being with you is all I need, anyway. If you're beside me, I will be perfectly all right."

            He smiled and softly kissed her, which she returned blissfully. They smiled at each other when they parted. 

            "Shouldn't we go to bed? It's already late," Tomoyo asked.

            "No it's not. You usually sleep later," Eriol commented, which she returned with raised eyebrows. "You frequently gone outside to spy on the villagers and you often observe the Clan's intelligence to the whereabouts of the Tsuki Stone before we found it. Now, I often found your aura searching for the Dark Ones. You shouldn't push yourself too much, Tomoyo."

            She giggled, "But I'm perfectly healthy, right? So, what do you want to do rather than sleeping?"

            His eyes twinkled with mischief and whispered huskily in her ear, "Oh, come on, you always know what I want, right?" He hugged her seductively. 

            She giggled and whispered in the same tone, "Of course I know, love…"

            "Coffee with cream, right?" she then asked. He nodded and she left to make the coffee.

(A/N: Wahahahahahahaha!!! I bet you already thought about bad things, right?!? *grin like crazy*)

|++++++++++++++++++++++++|

            The next morning, Syaoran woke up by the sunlight creeping from the window. Last night he had reluctantly said yes when they asked him to stay. He had been very tired from walking around the day before so he just obeyed them. He hadn't expect the girls to be so persistent. He had thought that the girls to be so enigmatic and calm. But what he experienced told him that what he thought was one hundred percent wrong. He sweat dropped when he thought about this.

            He changed to his outfit and outside the room. He decided to take a walk around the resident. When he reached a corridor, he found paintings on the wall of the corridor. The first painting is a girl around sixteen carrying a bottle of saké. She was pouring it to a grave bellow her. Her expression is mingling. She was smiling but she shed tears down her cheek. The second, it was a little girl around seven who played hide and seek with a boy older than her. Her expression is joyful. The third, it was once again a girl holding hand with an older boy. In that painting, the girl was around thirteen or fourteen years old and she had an expression of anguish, as if she was going to part from the boy and never come back. The fourth painting, it was the same girl from the painting before, although in this painting, the girl looked older and more mature than the third. In this painting, she was wearing a soldier's outfit and holding a sword. She was fighting with some kind of demon. Her golden auburn hair was loosed and her emerald eyes held expression of determination and courage in it. The last painting, it was the same girl from the paintings before. She was tied in tangles of thorn. She was wearing white sleeveless long dress that torn in various places. Her eyes were closed and she was shedding tears. Her expression is like a person who was tortured endlessly. Somehow, he felt that the painting was connected to one another. It's like a chain of story. And he was aware that the girl was in some way familiar to him. He stroked the last painting slightly. It was as if the painting was calling out to him, telling him to help the girl.

            "Ahem." He glimpsed at the voice. It was the girl that brought him to the owner's room. "You like the painting?" she asked kindly to him.

            "Kinda. I'm just taking a look at it. Who made this?" he replied and asked. Shred torn

            "I did. It was a story of a girl. You must have already noticed it, right?"

            "I have. Wow, I must admit that your paintings are good. Where did you get the idea?" he asked once again, feeling curious about it. He never really interested in arts, but this one is different. It was special. And where did he get the idea was unheard of him. 

            "Sore wa hontou no hanashi yo. Do you know where I got the inspiration if making these paintings?" she rhetorically asked. "I got it from the lifeline of the Priestess, who was known also as the Mistress of the Cards."

            He gaped. "H-how can you know that? The Priestess had been asleep for more than forty years and no man has known the Cardmistress' history."

            She chuckled lightly, "You can do that if you are an oracle, a mind-reader, and a Pre-seer."

            "Look, I don't know who you are, and what purpose are you holding me here for. But I just want to tell you that I don't trust you," he said heatedly. "And whoever are you telling me who you are; I don't believe a word of it."

            She just smiled, "Good, you are obliged to do that by the Clan, right? Do not trust people. Especially strangers like us." 

            "And what connection do you have with the Clan?" he narrowed his eyes.

            "You can ask them yourself. I am not authorized to tell you that," she replied. "Why don't you join us for breakfast? Unless you want to starve to death for the rest of the journey today."

            "Journey? Where are you taking me?"

            "We are here to help you in finding the Priestess, right?" she said. "Moreover, if we are not here, you can't continue your journey because you have no idea where the Shrine is."

            "Hey, are you telling me that you know the whereabouts of the Priestess? Why don't you just tell me where the place is? I can just get there by myself!"

            "By yourself? Don't ever think this voyage will be as simple as that, Chosen One. You will have many obstacles going in your way. And if you're going by yourself, you will be as good as dead when you reach the Shrine. The Dark Power's are increasing. In addition, we don't know when the Shadow Master's power will reach its fullest. We just have to hope for the best."

            The girl walked off and Syaoran just reluctantly followed her. She brought him to a huge dining room. There sat Eriol with his guardians sitting across him. They turned to look at him when he entered the room with Tomoyo. 

            "Good morning, Xiao Lang," Eriol greeted.

            He didn't reply and just sat down across him beside Nakuru. Tomoyo went to the kitchen and returned with a tray of foods and drinks for breakfast. Then she put it in the table and sat beside Eriol. They started eating in silence. 

            When they finished, Nakuru and Spinel exited the dining room to prepare for the journey. Eriol and Tomoyo chatted about few things that were needed to bring along. And they told him that they were going to accompany him. 

            "Is it all right if we came with you?" Eriol asked.

            "It's not like I have a choice, though," Syaoran mumbled.

            Eriol chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. Moreover, we are not going to be with you all the time. Our task is just to escort you to the Hoshi Gate, and after that, it's all yours."

            "Hoshi Gate?"

            "It's the realm of the Priestess. You must get the Star Symbol there. Once you get a hold of it, it can tell where the Priestess is. But before that, we must awaken the Guardian of the Seal first."

            "Guardian of the Seal? The one who guard the Clow Cards? Why do we have to get to him first?"

            "Before we can get to the realm of the Priestess, we must first collect two other symbols. They are the Sun and the Moon. It's like the key to show that you are the Chosen One. You know that only the Chosen One who can awaken her, right?"

            He nodded and stood up after a minute of silence, ready to leave.

            "Where are you going?"

            "I'm going to the inn I'm staying. I let my stuffs there and I want to get them before I go."

            "Don't worry, all your stuff has already been moved to your room. You can check if there is any missing content in your bag."

            Syaoran just glanced back at Eriol and Tomoyo and walked away from the dining room. Eriol and Tomoyo looked at each other and smiled.

            "Looks like our plan is not going to be that easy at all…" said Eriol, shaking his head.

            Tomoyo just giggled and continued eating her breakfast.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OMG!!! At last this chapter has done!!! There are a few Japanese language I used in here that some of you might want to know what does it mean :

Ara : it means "Oh!" and used by women only

Dare da, omae? : "Who are you?"  only used by men

Sore wa hontou no hanashi yo : "That is a true story, you know."

Compass_sTar : And who is this mysterious woman who helped Syaoran?

Sakura : It's me!! It's me!! Awww! *Syaoran whacked her on the head* What was that for?!!

Syaoran : Don't you dare spoil the plot!!!!! 

Sakura: Hoee~e  it's already three chapter done and I haven't showed up yet!! 

Compass_StaR: All right you two, don't start! *sweat-dropped* Anyway, stay tune for the next chapter!! 

Sakura: It's not fair!! I'm not going to show up for another three chapter!!!!!! *tears streaming down her cheek*

Syaoran: Okay, okay, just get over it! You will appear more than me in later chapter!!!  *Syaoran put a sink under her chin to hold the tears that flowing down*

In this chapter, I wrote that Tomoyo is a Pre-seer, is it the right word? If you don't get what I mean, Tomoyo is a person who can see something in the past. Can you tell me the right word?

Finally, that is all I can give to you and I'm sorry if there is any mistakes I made here, please report to me if there is one, okay!!

Please review!!!!!!!! 


	5. Sun

Hwellooo,,,,, It's been so long since I last updated. I have many things to do these past months. I had to take my final exams, so I got to study hard, which I can't. And I had a writers block! After the exam was over, I had to take care of several things, like my yearbook and promnite and all (I'm going to high school, just fyi). I'd been extra busy for a month! And after 6th of July, that was the time I felt relieved because I can continue my story for you! Sakura may appear in chapter 6, to judge Syaoran, if he is suitable to be the Chosen One. But you just have to wait for it! Enjoy the story!

These are the description in this chapter you must take notice of:

Underlined Word   New Scene

__

_Italic Underlined __Words_   Different Place (you will be informed where. If you don't it was anonymous)

**Bold Underlined Words**   Different time

The Heir and the Priestess

Compass Star

Chapter 4  Sun

            He sat on the floor in his room. He stared at the belongings that Eriol's guardian had brought him. There was nothing left behind in the bag. He could say he was impressed by that. They surely had given him a lot of heart attack in less than a day. Let's talk about it. He didn't know them. They didn't know him. Well, maybe they knew a little about him. Like he is The Chosen One, or the Clan that had sent him to this mission and all. However, these whole situations are making him confuse. It all happening too fast for him. It's like reading a book and skipped one chapter to another.

            Then before that, the girl that had saved him from the deadly poison that stuck in his shoulder. And it was so courageous, no—crazy, to suck the poison from inside his body. It's outrageous. She came and gone like it was nothing. He hoped that maybe next time he could see her again and then he could thank her for her good deed towards him. He didn't know what he would be if she didn't help him that time.

            Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

            "Enter."

            The door opened and revealed the raven-haired girl with a bag around her shoulder. She was already wearing her travel clothes.

            She smiled and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

            "As soon as you do," he replied simply.

            "You can go down first if you want. We'll be finished in just a minute," and with that she left.

            Syaoran got up from his spot and pick up his bag. He got out of the room then walked towards the main door. Or so, he thought. He reached a large room in the middle of the resident. The room was four sided. On the wall in right, there was a symbol of a sun. On the left wall, there was a symbol of a star. On the wall behind him was a moon symbol. And on the wall across him, there was a symbol of the three symbols he saw on the walls before. The sun and the star were united, and the moon was placed beside it.

            And in the center of the room, there was a statue of maiden. The maiden wore a long skirt that tightens around her waist that becomes looser at the lower part of it. And at the higher part, a warrior clothes that went perfectly around her body. Her expression was set in determination and fury was   in her eyes. Her mouth was clenching and and looked like it was trembling in fury. She was thrusting a blade into a beast that lying limp on the ground.

            The beauty of the great statue before him was once again mesmerizing Syaoran. He looked up at the figure before him in awe. Soon after that, he got out of his trance and walk out the room while shaking his head fiercely. On the way to the main door, he met Eriol and Tomoyo. He greeted them with a nod, which they returned with a smile. They went outside the resident and walk off, but before that, Eriol put a Sealing Spell on the house.

            They walked side by side when Eriol stopped and talked to Nakuru.

            "Ruby, could you go to the Li Clan and report to them that Li-san has already met us and we are going after the Symbol of Sun?"

            "Of course, Master Eriol," she said and changed herself into a winged angel. Then she flew away to the direction of the Li Resident.

            "Why did you report to my clan? I thought you did this at your own attempt," he asked suspiciously.

            "I am doing this at my own attempt. But the Elders had requested me to report on the progression of this mission, so I sent every movement me make to the Elders. Nevertheless, I knew that one of your sisters is watching you from afar. The Observer Tower."

            Syaoran just stared at him with a disapproving look.

            "Ara, mite! We have passed the Clow Street!" Tomoyo said.

            "Clow Street? Isn't it Kuro Street?" Syaoran asked, confused.

            "No, it's actually Clow Street. People misinterpreted it as Kuro Street because the dash after the 'Ro' is missing1."

            Syaoran chose to just stay quiet in the rest of the journey. But after hours of walking half of the day has passed, he started to get curious to where the couple would take him.

            "Excuse me," he said, interrupting the animatedly talking couple. "But where are you taking me? No one has said anything to where we are going."

            Erio smiled, "Sorry, we are going to the Taiyou Hill. The place where the Sun Symbol is kept. The place is guarded by the Guardian of the Sun, Ceroberos. He's pretty strong, so you better watch out for him. From my experience, he is not easy to tame."

            "Of course, he's your past guardian, after all," Syaoran mumbled, then narrowed his eyes, "Hey, aren't you going to help me?"

            Eriol smirked, "No. We only assist you to get to the place. Like I said before, when you get to that place, you're all on your own."

            Syoran sweat dropped and laughed nervously, "These guys are really going to kill me," he muttered under his breath.

            "So, Li-sama. Do you think we are going to get to the Priestess in time?" Tomoyo asked, whispering to Syaoran.

            "Huh, why would you ask that to me?" Syaoran asked back.

            "No, I just have this strange feeling that something is holding us."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Didn't you feel it? The time when we passed the Clow Street?" she asked Syaoran. "When we walk outside the Resident, it felt like the time had been slowed down. Compared to the length of time you took when you walked towards our resident."

            "Yes, I felt that, too."

            She squeezed his shoulder and said, "Just be careful. Watch every step behind your back. We're going to reach a city very soon. It's about a mile away from here. Then we're going to buy several stuffs there. Maybe if the day is already late, we're going to stay there for a night. The city is dangerous and we can't guide you every now and then. Be cautious all the time."

            Syaoran nodded, 'Maybe this girl is not so bad. But I still can't trust that man. Maybe later, maybe never."

            They walked in silence. And after they reached the street, they split up into two group. Syaoran with Tomoyo, and Eriol with Spinel. They decided to meet again in an inn on the edge of the city.

            "Let's go to the market first to get water for the trip," said Tomoyo to Syaoran. Then they walked side by side to the market.

            "Do you need to buy anything here, Li-sama?" Tomoyo asked.

            "No, I already prepare it yesterday. I'm just following you behind."

            Tomoyo smiled kindly and said, "Just tell me if you need anything."

            They walked along the street of the market and started buying things. Tomoyo was buying stuffs with Syaoran following close behind. While he was tailing Tomoyo, Syaoran glanced at people walking in the street, like she told him. All of a sudden, he caught a glimpse on a wavy haired girl buying vegetable across the street. He stared at her for a while. When the girl realized she was being watched, she glanced back at him. When their eyes met each other, she widened her eyes and smiled sweetly at him then ran away.

            That was when he realized that the girl was the one who helped him before. He ran towards her, trying to stop her but she was already gone.

            Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around abruptly, but it was only Tomoyo. He sighed in relief inwardly.

            "Nani shiteru no, going around by yourself like that?" she asked him confusedly.

            "No, it's just I saw somebody that I know. It's a girl, with long wavy hair and emerald eyes. Do you happen to see her?"

            "No, I just came here when you reached here a minute ago. Is it someone important?" she asked.

            "No, just curious."

            "Sou ka. . ." she trailed. "Anyway, let's head back to the inn. Eriol and Suppi-chan must be waiting there right now."

            "Okay," he replied and followed her to the inn.

            Syaoran and Tomoyo entered the pub in the inn and sat in one of the table. Soon after that, Eriol came with a bag full of fabric. Syaoran raised his eyebrow confusedly.

            "What was that for?"

            "You should just ask the lady beside you," Eriol replied with animated smile.

            Syaoran glanced at Tomoyo and she giggled spiritedly, "It's a secret!"

            Syaoran just sat down awkwardly while they ordered some drink and staring lazily at the couple. He was lost in his thought several minutes later when his two companions started to create their own world.

            "Ano ne Li-sama, do you want to stay for tonight or do you want to continue for the voyage. You know, if you want to we can stay this night and tomorrow we can walk straight away to the Hill," Tomoyo asked and explained briefly.

            "It's up to you. But I prefer staying here this night so we don't have to waste time."

            "Okay, it's settled then. I'm going to demand two rooms for us," Eriol said while standing up and left to order their rooms.

            "Why did I end up with you?" he asked, glaring at Eriol.

            "It's a matter of manner, you know," he replied, grinning. "You can't just let me sleep with Tomoyo, and I can't just let you sleep with Tomoyo. You or me could end up doing bad things in there," he said, mischief in his eyes while pointing to the room beside them across the wall.

            "_You_ could end up doing bad things with her, not me, idiot."

            Eriol just laughed at his comment.

            Unexpectedly, they felt a strong dark aura going around the inn. Syaoran stiffen and stood up abruptly.

            "Wait," said Eriol.

            "What?" Syaoran asked. "Are you holding me up or something?"

            "This aura, whoever is this, wants you. If you come up to confront them, you might end up getting hurt."

            "So what if I am?" he spat and ran outside the room.

            Eriol sighed and follow him outside. On the doorway, he met Tomoyo. Her face filled with worry and fright.

            "Stay here, don't go anywhere."

            Before Eriol could swing his leg an inch, Tomoyo hold him with eyes filled fear.

            "Don't go there," she said, her voice shaking.

            "Why?" he asked, but soon realized the last thing he ever wanted. "Did you have it again?"

            "Y-yes. . ."

            He grabbed her hand, "What did you see Tomoyo? What are the visions tell you?"

            Her eyes filled with tears and her lips were quivering.

            "I-I can't tell you Eriol," she shook her head violently. "But you can't go outside! Please. . . "

            His eyes soften a bit and he cupped her chin, "I can't Tomoyo. I cannot just let Xiao Lang fight it all alone. We must prevent him from getting hurt in this journey."

            She bowed her head and nodded slowly. Eriol smiled and kissed her cheek softly.

            "Don't worry, everything is going to be alright," and with that he ran out the door.

            Syaoran stood at a yard. He had been following the aura for minutes but it didn't get him to feel the source of the aura. He let out his aura and the aura stopped then focused at one place in front of him. The strength of the aura made the wind gush and suddenly revealed a woman with a red outfit that clung to her skin tightly. On her hands were fires burning up violently. Her hand was made by fire and her whole body was covered by fire. She smiled crookedly to him.

            "Who are you?" he asked calmly.

            "Hello, Chosen One. I am Hien, The Mistress of Fire. It doesn't take a long time to find you, does it? And I'm sure it will be a lot easier taking you down."

            "Hm? I don't think that way," he replied evenly.

            "Ha! Don't underestimate me, gentleman," and with that she sent a blast of fire, which Syaoran dodged easily.

            Syaoran smirked and sent back a blast of fire at her, but she restrained it with her hand before it got her.

            "How foolish! If you pit fire against fire, it's like adding oil in it."

            She enlarged the fire that he sent him and threw it at him. But unfortunately for her, Syaoran obliterated it with his Element of Water. She growled and lunged at him. He dodged out of the way and sent her a lightning strike. It barely got her right on the shoulder, but enough to hurt her.

            "You moron! I will get you for this!" she created a bow with her hand and sent Syaoran thousands of arrow made by fire.

            Syaoran tried to make a shield with the Element but the arrows were too strong and broke through his defense. They left him no choice but to dodged them one by one and reduced it with his magic. Because of the immense amount of the attack, some of them barely hit him and there are many that got to him, making torn, scrapes and cuts to his skin.

            Syaoran growled and gathered his strength then sent a full blast at Hien. Her eyes widened and in a matter of second, she was thrown ten feet away.

            "Let me correct it for you. You will never get me."

            She just smirked and at that time, Syaoran was aware there was something coming towards him behind his back. He glanced back and saw arrows launched at him. He closed his eyes and waited for the attack. Then he heard the arrow clash into something, but he didn't felt hurt. He opened his eyes and gasped in shock. Eriol was in front of him shielding him with his body and letting the arrow stabbed into his stomach. He fell down with Syaoran supporting his body.

            Hien smirked and laughed loudly, "I don't know why all the good people are stupid!"

            Syaoran glared at her while laying Eriol on the ground and turned to look at her. His eyes glaring at her in outrage. His aura flaring around him in a blazing glow. He gathered his strength and concentrated deeply on his energy.

            "O, the God of Water, lent me your power and let the demon be destroyed away forever!"

            He threw away his power and focused it at Hien.  When it lunged at her, the blast changed into a form of dragon. Hien gasped in horror and shielded her body with her fire, but to no avail. The Dragon of Water got through her defense and thrust her right in the chest, going through her back. Then slowly, her body changed into a shape of a younger girl with long red hair. She dropped onto the ground and laying limply on it. And then her eyes opened slowly revealing a red flaming eyes. She looked up and spotted Syaoran, who was panting slightly from exhaustion. She smiled weakly and walked up to him. When she was about three feet away from him, she kneeled before him.

            "Who are you again?!" he asked coldly. "Are you the one who is trying to kill me?"

            She looked up at him and beamed, "I'm not. The Shadow Master made me trapped in the body you fought earlier. When you killed her, I came back to my old self again. Thank you for saving me, Li Syaoran. Oh, and my name is Hikaru Shidou. Nice to meet you, Chosen One!"

            She stood up and held out her hand for him. When he didn't reply and just looked at her hand suspiciously, she took back her hand and smiled sheepishly.

            "My friend is hurt because of you, how do you convince me that you're not the bad guy?" he asked, his voice still cold.

            She just stared at him blankly. Then she laughed faintly, making Syaoran glared at her.

            "Your friend is hurt, right?" she asked. "I can help you take him home and treat him. I know the perfect medication for that kind of wound."

            "Thank you, but there is no need for that," and then he left her quietly, carrying Eriol.

            She merely stood on the spot gazing at Syaoran's back. A moment later, a figure silently appeared behind her at the back of a tree.

            "He's really difficult to handle, ne?" the figure asked.

            Hikaru giggled slightly, "He really is."

            "It's good to see you back, Hikaru."

            "Thanks. I was worried the Hero will never come to rescue me from the curse. Because if he didn't, I will still be in the dark side right now. How's your job with the Little Wolf?"

            "I'm doing pretty well here. The Little Wolf is starting to get curious about me. And in no time, he will start to catch up with me. It's going as it's planned, right?"

            "Sou ne. . . Demo, how do I go in this? He already rejected me earlier; I don't think he will take it very well later."

            "You know what? I suggest you to go to the place where he stay, and cure the Reincarnation. I'm sure he will be the one who get things straight. Or you can just meet the girl, you're a good friend of her, right? I'm sure she will be delighted to see you safe and sound."

            "Sou ne, I suppose you're right. Okay then, I think I should be going now. See you later, angel!"

            "Bye!"

            Syaoran reached the inn they're staying in. Tomoyo is waiting in front of their rooms with worried and fear written in her eyes.

            "He's hurt, Daidouji-san. I'm sorry I couldn't defend him earlier. He was wounded in the stomach with an arrow."

            "I know that," Tomoyo smiled sadly when she saw the baffled on Syaoran's face. "I'm a fore-seer. I knew what was going to happen to him. But I can't interrupt the fate, nor the incident that will happen today, that's why warned you about this. Now, could you lay him on the bed? I want to check his wound and see if I could fix the damage."

            Syaoran did as she told him and watched her examined Eriol's wound on his bed while he treated his. After a minute, Tomoyo began to bandage his stomach and put a healing spell in it.

            She turned to look at him, "I don't know if he will be healed in a brief day, and I'm sure we will delay our journey." She took out locket from her neck and placed it in his palm. "This is the good luck charm for you. You can see the direction of Taiyou Hill from there. We will catch up with you when Eriol get better."

            He looked at her intently and sighed, "No, I will stay here and wait until he gets better. It's my responsibility for his condition. I can't just leave him like this even if it concerns my mission. I will help you."

            She smiled and took the locket back from him, "Does this mean that you already trust us?"

            He blushed faintly at her comment and scratched his cheek nervously, "I—I don't know about that yet. But I believe your words."

            "You believe our words? That's quite a miracle for someone like you," she said and turned back to Eriol who was sleeping agitatedly. She touched his hand and caressed it gently.

            "You really care for him, aren't you?"

            She gazed at Eriol, "We've been together since we're kids. We were in the same school that time. When I discovered my magic, he was the one who were there beside me. When I told our parents that I had magic, he accompanied me. Then at the end, I decided to go with him in this mission. And the rest, you can figure out yourself."

            He chuckled, "I guess we just have to hope for the best now, aren't we?"

            She nodded, "You can get your rest in my room. I think I'm going to stay here until he wakes up."

            "Alright, thank you."

            He walked towards the door and opened it, ready to leave the room. But suddenly he stopped at the doorway. Realizing his strange behavior, Tomoyo took a glimpse at him and stood up sharply, her eyes widened in shock.

            "What are you doing here?" Syaoran asked coldly to the person before him.

            "I've already told you before; I can help your friend if you want."

            "And I said no. Didn't you understand what I said?"

            She decided to ignore hid question, "It was me who injured him. And I'm the one responsible for things happen to him right now. I want to help."

            "H-Hikaru?" a voice squeaked behind Syaoran. It was Tomoyo. She was draping her mouth with her hand and there was unshed tears glimmering in her eyes.

            Hikaru looked at Tomoyo and walked towards her passing Syaoran who was bewildered by the scene. "I finally came back, Tomoyo. The spell has broken. Now I can continue my task," she said while glancing towards Syaoran. Tomoyo ran to her and hugged her firmly.

            "Yokatta… I thought you already gone," she whispered vaguely. Then she released her hug from Hikaru and looked at Syaoran. "What she was saying before is true, Li-sama. The Dark One took her away a year ago to prevent the resurrection of the Priestess, and corrupted her with a curse, making her trapped in a beast body. Now, she had been released from the stain that had been putrefying her. It's all because you had destroyed the demon inside her body, Chosen One."

            Syaoran just raised his eyebrow and shook his head in amazement, "I don't know what to say. Just do things as you wish, I'm going to bed." But before he left he glanced at Tomoyo, "And hope he will got better."

            The two girls stared at him in amusement. "What are you going to do right now?" Tomoyo asked.

            "First off, I'm going to take the fire Spot from his body. It's gonna take time, so you better get your rest. You still have a lot to do in the upcoming time, right?"

            "Umm, I think I just stay here with you. I know will not sleep even if I take my rest now."

            "You really cared for him, don't you?" she asked.

            Tomoyo chuckled, "You know, today there are already two people who asked me that."

            "Oh? Let me guess… Is it him?" Hikaru asked, gesturing to the room.

            She just smiled while Hikaru continued her examination.

**Next Morning**

            Syaoran woke up by the sunlight creeping up in Tomoyo's room. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked adown at himself and founf that he was still wearing the same clothes he wore last night. He sighed and got up the bed to go to his room and change his clothes. He exited the room and found Hikaru was standing against the wall. She looked at him when he left his room.

            "Eriol has woken up. They're inside right now."

            He only glanced at her words and entered Eriol's room without a word. Once inside, he found Eriol was talking to Tomoyo. They stopped talking when he was inside and greeted him.

            "Good morning, Li-sama," said Tomoyo lightly with her usual charming smile.

            He just nodded at them and went to his bag to find clothes.

            "Li-sama?"

            He stopped searching and looked up to Tomoyo. She was carrying a pack of clothes with her.

            "I made this for you. Why don't you try this one?"

            He looked at the clothes she was carrying in her hand with suspicions, which make her laugh heartily.

            "I'm not putting spell, curse or anything strange in this."

            "Now I'm starting to think there is one in these clothes," he mumbled. "When did you make these?" he asked her.

            "Last night when I was companying Eriol here," she answered simply.

            "You made this last night? That's fast!"

            She chuckled, "I have my ways." She put the clothes in his hand, "Why don't you try these on?"

            He sweat-dropped, "I think I'm going to try just this one," he said picking up one of the clothes Tomoyo made for her. He went to the bathroom (A/N: are there one in that time?) and changed his clothes. He got outside and stood nervously in front of the bathroom.

            "Is this clothes supposed to be like this?" he asked uneasily. He was wearing a white kimono with a blue stitching on the low part of the sleeve (like the one Subaru wear in his picture w/ Seishirou).

            "Yes it is. Oh my god, it looks so good on you! Thank god, I made it for you. I hope you like it, ne Eriol?" Tomoyo squealed and straightened his clothes.

            Eriol smiled, "Well, well, well. Are you ready to go to the next destination?" He was still in the bed, but he looked perfectly healthy and normal. Unlike last night, pale and weak.

            He shrugged, "If you are."

            "Okay then, let's go! After we ate breakfast, we can take our leave."

            "Are you sure you're all right?" Tomoyo asked, concern in her voice. "You've just recovered from the wound."

            Eriol smiled at her reassuringly, "I'm all right. I feel like I'm new again," he grinned. "Hikaru is outside right? Could you please tell her that we're leaving soon?"

            "Of course," Tomoyo replied and went outside.

            Eriol looked at Syaoran when Tomoyo exited. "There is something I want to say to you."

            Syaoran tilted his head, but still didn't take off his cold gesture. "What is it?"

            Eriol grinned once again and pointed his forefinger into the air, "Hikaru is going to escort us to the Taiyou Hill!"

            Syaoran fell head over heels. "Why did she have to come with us?!" he asked after recovering from his shock. "She-she already gave me heart attack before! Are you going to do that to me again?!"

            Eriol just chuckled, "I'm not. But she just saved me from death, didn't she?"

            "Okay, okay," Syaoran threw his hand up in the air, showing sign of surrender, not wanting to make an argument with him. "I'll let her go with us. Just do whatever you want; as long as it doesn't concern me and my mission, I don't care."

            Then he went outside the room. When he was outside, he was expecting Tomoyo and Hikaru talking in front of the room but he found nothing. He glanced around but found no one at the corridor of the inn. He decided to shrug it off and walked away.

            He walked along the hill he found when he was taking a walk at the town. There he stood under a tree and looked across the ground across him under the hill. Suddenly he heard a cracking voice above his head, He looked up and saw the girl who saved him last time grinning sheepishly and waving at him. She jumped down the tree, making him startled and stood facing him.

            "You!" he exclaimed and pointed at her. "What are you doing here?"

            "I'm not doing anything, just sitting on the tree and admiring the beauty of the surrounding here," she replied, playing with her hand. She tilted her head, "What are you doing here?"

            "I'm just staying here for a few days with a friend of mine that I met on the way. I'm going to continue to my next destination today. And I'm asking what you are doing in this city."

            "Ee? Oh, I'm here for a few family occasions!" she said cheerfully. Then her face looked startled, "Oh my god, I think I'm gonna be late for breakfast! Demo ne, I want to say one word for you before I go, Li-kun! Is it all right with you?"

            "Um, yeah. What is it?"

            "Just believe," she said. There was a hint of seriousness in her voice, though she said it with a smile. She walked past him and ran down the hill. "I'll see you later! Mata ne!"

            "Hey wait! What's your name?!" Syaoran asked before she disappeared. She stopped and turned around. Instead of telling her name, she just smiled at him and waved, and then she turned away again, running down the hill.

            He sighed heavily, "Once again, I failed to ask her name. . ."

            Then he stood at the edge of the hill, watching the landscape before him. The surrounding looked calm and beautiful at that time. The sun was still at the east side of the hill and the air was breezy. He breathed the freshness of it and calmed himself. His head was still a little dizzy from last night's combat. He must recover from the many scenes he received last night.

            "Li-sama," a feminine voice interrupted his thought. He turned around and met Tomoyo.

            "You haven't had your breakfast yet and we're going to leave in a little while. As you said, we cannot waste any time," she tilted her head when she noticed his impassive face. "Did I interrupt your thought?"

            He blinked. "No," he answered simply. "Just wait for me at the inn and I'll be right there in a moment."

            She nodded, smiling at him, "Don't take too long or the breakfast is going to be cold." Then she turned away and left him.

            "Where is exactly the Taiyou Hill is located anyway?" he asked his companions.

            Eriol looked at him and cast his famous smile to him, "I suggest you to try to be more patients, Syaoran."

            "That doesn't answer my question. And I don't allow you to call me by that. It's Li to you," he scowled even more. The girls are giggling when they watched the scene. The smirking Eriol and the scowling Chosen One. So amusing.

            "You know, at first impression, I thought you would be the Chosen One I had been dreaming for years! But when I see your true color, it's so different from what I thought!" Hikaru said while giggling with Tomoyo. "I'd been expecting someone who is cool and gentle and… oh I can't bear to think of it!" she twirled around and squealed happily, making everyone sweatdropped.

            "Hey, you can't expect someone to be like the one you dreamt!" he said grimly, highly irritated by the redheaded girl.

            "Wow, wow! No offense, sir!" she said, hiding behind Tomoyo. "And I don't expect him to be so scary!" she whispered to Tomoyo.

            "I heard that," Syaoran said, glaring at her. That made Hikaru and Tomoyo grinned sheepishly.

            "You could get famous for that, you know," commented Eriol. He chuckled and said, "No, actually you _are_ famous."

            Syaoran blinked and raised his eyebrows, "I'm famous?"

            "Well of course you are! You are the Chosen One, the only heir to the famous Li Clan. Moreover, you are the one who destined to partner with the Priestess!" Tomoyo piped in.

            "And for addition, you're cute, you're cool, and you can make every girl on this country fall for you in just one hour!" Hikaru added with her forefinger stuck up in the air.

            "Yeah, yeah whatever." Syaoran rolled his eyes.

            "Anyway Hikaru, where are you going to go? You said before that you were going in the same way as we are," Eriol asked Hikaru.

            "Oh, I'm going to go home to my parents' house. I think they'd like to hear this good news from me," she replied while grinning.

            "Where is your parents' house?" asked Tomoyo.

            "It's quite near the Taiyou Hill. Only a couple of miles from there."

            After that, they stayed silence in the rest of the way, before they met a fork in the way. One to the right and one to the left.

            "I guess this is it for now. I'm going to that way," Hikaru pointed to the left way of the fork. "You're going to the opposite way, right?"

            "Yes, we are going to go this way, Hikaru," replied Eriol.

            Hikaru smiled widely, "Okay then, good luck for you three, um—four. Especially you, Li-kun! Ja ne!" She ran walked away to the left way and disappeared from their sight slowly.

            Eriol looked at Syaoran and smiled, "So, shall we go?"

            Syaoran nodded and followed Eriol, while Tomoyo walked closely behind them.

            They reached a hill with huge ruins stood proudly at the top of the hill. The three walked towards the ruins and stood outside the circle that the ruin made. They found a Sun Symbol in the middle of the circle. Syaoran took a step ahead and look at the sight before him.

            "It is time, to open the gate to the Path of the Sun."

            Syaoran turned around to look at Tomoyo. She was holding a violet staff with a round symbol at the top.  A sun was engraved to her forehead and she was looking intently at Syaoran. Suddenly, she smirked and pushed Syaoran into the circle.

            "Good luck, Chosen One. Our prayers will always be with you," Tomoyo whispered.

            "Wha-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

            The middle of the circle suddenly opened itself and brought Syaoran down into darkness.

            Syaoran rubbed his head, "Ugh, damn those two. . ."

            He stood up and looked at his surrounding. The room was dark, very dark. In it, was nothing but an empty-spaced room. He tried to take a step forward and walk slowly around the room to find something. It was a stupid thing to do for him. But he could sense the aura around him and he found nothing. He walked straight ahead when suddenly his body bumped into something. He took out his hand and stroked the thing in front of him. It felt like a curved object, with a carving in the core of the object in front of him. Suddenly, the thing shifted and rotated itself. Slowly, it made a hole in the center and shone brightly, blinding his eyes.

            He narrowed his eyes to lessen the light that went through his pupils. When the lights died down, the room became dim and made him able to see the surrounding. That was the time he found out the thing he touched earlier was actually a door. He pushed the door open and walked in. Inside, he was welcomed by a bare-spaced room similar to the one before, but in this room he felt a strange bright aura around him. He tried to find the source of the aura by walking around to get something other than this strange atmosphere and dull aura in the site. The only thing he found was an odd-looking stone in the center of the room. He tried to pick it up, but it looks like the rock was attached to the floor below it. Then he realized that the stone was the cause of the aura he felt.

            The stone in his hand suddenly shook greatly and burst into pieces in the count of seconds. Syaoran was thrown backwards by the explosion, and it made his hand bleed because he was holding the stone when it exploded. _Oh shit, that hurts. _He gasped when he saw a yellow tiger in front of him. The tiger was looking straight at him with a fierce glare.

            "What are you searching for, boy? You are interrupting my wonderful sleep," the tiger said while yawning, then it he stiffen. "Wait, how did you end up here? There is no one who can reach this far, unless you are the One chosen by the Moon."

            "I am."

            The tiger stare at him with suspicious eyes. "My name is Ceroberos, Guardian of the Sun. The Guardian Beast and also the one who guard the Symbol of Sun. You are here to prove to me that you are the Chosen One."

            "And how am I supposed to do that?"

            "Fight me."

            "You know, I feel a little guilty leaving him alone like that," Tomoyo said, staring at the circle where Syaoran had fallen.

            "It's not like we have a choice, anyway. We have done what is supposed to be done," Eriol replied.

            She sighed, "I guess…"

            There is a moment of silence between the two. "Well, what are we going to do now?"

            "Hmm, I guess we just have to wait and congratulate him. If he comes out, I mean. Not that I intend to doubt him," Tomoyo replied.

            "What I mean is: what are we going to do while we wait for him?"

            Tomoyo took a side glance at Eriol. "I don't know. It's all up to you, Hon."

            Eriol approached Tomoyo and circled his arm around her. "I think it's the moment to have some quality time for the two of us," he whispered.

            "Well of course it is," she replied, turning around in his arms, facing him. She kissed his lips softly, which he returned delightedly. He kissed her forehead when they broke the kiss.

            "I love it when you do that," she said. She rested her head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, which matched hers perfectly. They stayed in that way for several minutes, before she pulled away from him.

            "Eriol, do you want some coffee? It's almost tea time, you know. Moreover, I guess it will take a pretty long while for him to come up"

            "Of course I do. Never want to miss the opportunity for that."

            She chuckled, "I know you do."

            "Spinel, do you want to join us? We are going to make some coffee," Tomoyo said, not forgetting about the little creature who had been wandering around the hill, bored with the scene before him.

_The __Observer____Tower___

            Fei Mei was watching her little brother in the Tower at the east side of the Li Residence. She was looking at the blue orbs in front of her, watching her brother fought with the Guardian Beast. Her eyes saddened when she remembered the task that was given to him and her family. Her family was one of the few of the last generation of magicians who could stand against the Dark Ones. It wasn't only her who was given up a great deal like this, as an oldest of the five. Her sisters were sent over to several places in the country. They were sent on a mission to developed intelligence for the Li Clan.

            She frowned when she realized that Syaoran was facing a difficult opponent.

            _Of course he is. We're talking about the Guardian Beast here, _she laughed inwardly to herself.

            Fei Mei could see that her brother was having a tough opponent. Cerberos kept attacking Syaoran without giving him a chance to recover his energy. The Guardian Beast assaulted him with countless forces from every corner of the chamber.

            She could just sigh and watched him with wistful eyes.

            _Good luck, Little Brother. Our prayers will always be with you._

            She was torn, she was devastated, she was suffering while she was watching him struggle to win against her Guardian Beast. She was in a dark room in the corner of the jail where her soul was imprisoned, and only can be retrieved by the Three Symbol which the Chosen One will bear. She watched them fighting with a sad expression in her eyes. It was one of the few times she had an opportunity to watch the outside world. She had left the Earth for almost fifty year. In the meantime, she wait, wait, wait, and keep waiting patiently for the Chosen One to be selected. However even to her own amazement, she didn't become old. Her appearance is still the same as when her soul was captured by the Shadow.

            She had to be grateful to herself, to cast a quite powerful spell upon Shadow to prevent him corrupt her soul and destroy the world. However, if this situation didn't change, the Shadow might find a way to find the counter-spell for her doing.

            _No, I must have faith in him. I have to trust him. He was the One __Chosen__, who were picked by the Moon Guardian, the wisest among the Three,_ she smiled wistfully to herself. _I will be waiting for you, Li Syaoran._

            "Having a hard time fighting with me, gaki?" Cerberos said, smirking.

            Syaoran was standing on the opposite of Cerberos. He had many scratches and cuts on his skin, which for sure had made a problem with his speed.

            "I underestimate you earlier. But now I'm not. And for your information, I'm not a gaki," Syaoran replied, at the same time gathering his strength and sent Cerberos a full force of the Lighning Bolt.

            Cerberos dodged the attack. "You think you could defeat me by that? Oh boy, you surely have to take a lot more practice," Cerberos commented lightly, not realizing the energy blast generating behind him.

            "Feh, don't have to lecture me. Already did that," Syaoran smirked. "Actually, it's you who need exercise more than me."

            "Hey-," the words were cut off by the blast Syaoran had conjured to him from behind, making him thrown five feet forward. Cerberos was lying limp on the ground with his eyes closed, but not dead. Syaoran stood at his spot, unmoving.

            Cerveros opened his eyes and smiled at him, "Finally, the wish of my Mistress has fulfilled. I knew it is time for me to do what supposed to be done, and the Power of the Sun will be awakened once more."

            Syaoran just stared at Cerberos with an unread expression. _What have I done?_

            "You have passed my judgment, young boy. It is time to give you the symbol of the Three," Cerberos stood up slowly and faced Syaoran. "What is your name, young one?"

            "Li. Li Syaoran," Syaoran replied.

            "Li, huh. I noticed they have grown their power until now. I always knew one of Clow's descendant will fulfill the Judgment of the Moon," he chuckled. "Alright, now extend your right hand to me."

            Syaoran did as ordered, he extended his hand until it leveled Cerberos' nose.

            "O, Goddes of the Sun, the one who guard the power to awaken the Holy One. I, Cerberos, declare that Li Syaoran, the descendant of Clow Reed and the Heir of the Li Family, has passed the Judgment of the Sun. I command you under the contract, RELEASE!"

            Syaoran felt a surge of power entered his body, creeping up through his vein. The sensation ran through him from his palm for a whole minute. When the sensation died, he felt a tickling in his palm. Then he saw a symbol of a sun he saw on Eriol's house was engraved to the back of his hand, then he turned his hand to find that the engraving was also on his palm.

            "That is what they say, the Symbol of the Sun. Once people see the etching on your hand, they would know that you are the Chosen One. The One who they have waited for almost a half of century," explained Cerberos. "You should have proud to have that symbol. Even the Priestess didn't have that."

            Syaoran didn't reply. He just stared at his hand, making a silence between them. Then, several minutes later he asked, "So, what am I supposed to do now?"

            "As the Reincarnation have told you, you have to search the other two Symbol with him, and then fulfill your task and your destiny with the Priestess."

            "The Reincarnation?" he questioned, not to Cerberos, much like to himself. "Should I trust him?"

            Cerberos' vein shot up and bonked Syaoran on the head with his paw, making him cursed. "Of course you should trust him, you dumb!"

            "AWWW! What was that for?!?"

            "That's for your dumbness, stupid."

            "I'm not stupid, you dork."

            "Hey, what do you mean by that?! How could you insult a great and handsome Guardian Beast of the Seal like me! Ohohoho…"

            Syaoran sweatdropped and mumbled, "Where did you get that phrase anyway? I don't even think you look like half of that."

            Cerberos glared at Syaoran, "I heard that."

            "Alright, alright enough of this. Now, would you tell me the way out from here?" Syaoran asked, he had had enough of the bickering. All he wanted to do now was got out of that place and just continue his journey.

            "Feh, you think you could get away from me like that?" Cerberos snorted.

            "Huh, what do you mean?"

            "The procedure said that once you get a hold of the Symbol, I must accompany you for the rest of your journey. Don't worry, I won't disturb you. I just have to get in the Symbol and continue my sleep."

            "Oh, okay then," Syaoran said, relieved that he didn't have to get one more annoying creature to disturb him.

            "Then, let's go." Cerberos let out his aura and touch Syaoran's hand. He closed his eyes and muttered a few words. Suddenly Syaoran felt dizzy. The atmosphere suddenly changed into a large tunnel with blinding lights. He closed his eyes and felt the dizziness he felt earlier has gone. He opened his eyes and found he was at the Taiyou Hill once again, in the middle of the circle. Afraid of falling again, he immediately got outside the circle. He looked at his surrounding and noticed Tomoyo and Eriol was having a good time enjoying their coffee. He scowled. _Those jerks, leaving me alone while I suffered._         

            Syaoran stepped forward, but stopped by Cerberos.

            "Hey, let me go in the Symbol first before you go to them," he said while yawning. "I will continue my sleep, don't interrupt me, okay. But don't forget to contact me if there's anything new. You can contact me by your mind. Oh, and one more thing. Send my greeting to Clow—no, Hiiragizawa Eriol, now he was named."

            Syaoran nodded and extended his hand to Cerberos' nose. Cerberos touch his nose with the Symbol and he was absorbed by the Mark. Syaoran sighed in relief, and then walked towards his companions while scowling. Eriol was the first who realized him coming.

            "Hey, are you done yet? That was quite a long time, dude. I'm sure you have a great time fighting with him," said Eriol, pointing his palm. Tomoyo greeted him with a smile.

            "O yea, it's so entertaining! Do you see my wounds?" he replied sarcastically.

            "O my god, Li-sama! That wound must be treated quickly before it infect you," commented Tomoyo while taking a box of medicines. "Please sit down beside me, Li-sama."

            Syaoran did as he told, considering that Tomoyo was a girl and he was wounded.

            "Hohoho… We're sorry that we did that to you. But we have no other choice! You must face Cerberos alone. The rule didn't gave us permission to accompany you getting the Symbol," Eriol explained briefly.

            "And if the rule says that, why didn't you tell me earlier?! I could have prepared for that!" Syaoran scowled even more.

            Eriol replied his scowling with his mischievous smile, "Because I like surprises."

            And he scowled even more.

1 Clow, in Japanese katakana was written by "Ku", "Ro" and a dash looking similarly like these: "". So, it was written like these in romaji: "Kuro Street".

   In this story, the dash after the "Ro" is missing, so it was read "Kuro" which means black, and that's what made people think that the Street was

   Haunted because it means Black Street

Well then, that was my work for this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it. And I apologize if there are mistakes in this chapter. If you found any mistakes, please let me know! Especially the fighting part. If you think it's bad, just tell me! Because honestly, I hate the fighting scene myself. Hohoho…

And once again, I'm sorry for the late update. It's almost two moths since I last updated, isn't it. I had no idea what to write for almost a month. Then today, 13th of July '04, I suddenly type everything that was going through my head! And when I realized, I had finished chapter 4! O yea baby! (Hoho,, exaggerating…) It's all thanks to Eragon, When I finished reading that book, ideas coming out of nowhere from my brain! And maybe, you will see a similar condition of Eragon (or other character), in this story. Not that I plagiarize Mr Paolini's creation. I'm just _borrowing _some of his idea in this story. I won't make it clear that I use Mr. Paolini's idea. But I will put up a disclaimer for it. After all, this is a fanfiction, right?

Alright then, stay tuned for the next chapter everyone! And just for your information, I'm starting high school next week so I may be updating a little longer. But I will write as much as I can this week to make it up for you all!

And this is my final words: REVIEW PLEASE!!!!


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